United Again
by ReviewMaster52497
Summary: When Alagaesia falls under attack from unknown enemies, chaos ensues. Homes abandoned, oaths broken, and a prophecy proved false. Eragon x Arya
1. A New Threat

The sky lit up briefly as a shooting star streaked across it. "Would you look at that." Roan whispered. He heard Frei gasp beside him and pull herself closer to him. They were laying on the crest of a hill, the soft grass beneath them and the warm, almost stifling air pressed down on them from above.

"My mother told me that if you make a wish when you see one, it will come true." She breathed, looking up at Roan. He smiled, and leaned in to kiss her. The moment their lips touched, Frei rushed upward into the sky. She screamed in terror as Roan leapt to his feet, staring impotently as she flew up, leagues above the ground until he couldn't even see her anymore. He stared into the sky, shouting her name. He heard no reply, and saw nothing more of her.

Roan felt his limbs suddenly grow cold, and he as well soared into the air. He looked around, shouting for whoever it was doing this to stop. Again, there was no reply. The last thing he saw was the top of Farthen Dur.

 **xxxxx**

Eragon breathed deeply, smelling the now-familiar scent of burnt mushrooms as he meditated. He had amazingly found ants in this new land, and had found no end of wonder to their behaviours, as he had once on the Crags of Tel'naeir. There were several differences between these ants and the ones he had known before. These new ants were much more disorganized, and their colonies were much smaller as a result of fighting with other colonies over territory and food. They also had twice as many legs, and much larger bodies. The queens were roughly the size of his little toe.

 _He's done._ Eragon heard Saphira growl in his mind. The Rider they had been training, Signor, decided he knew enough about how to control water, and rather than lecture him about how much he still had to learn, Eragon had left him with a list of a hundred complex shapes to bend the water into, as well as a hundred tasks to be completed with the water, sometimes with it in one of the hundred complex shapes. Saphira had watched him complete those tasks, and Eragon had gone to meditate.

This Rider, like the last few who had been sent, was much younger than Eragon usually received. They weren't as mature, and much more likely to do something foolish when faced with the difficulties of Eragon's training. He was worried that something was wrong with Arya, but she had sent no word with any of the Riders for a long, long time. _He is determined, if nothing else._ Saphira added as Eragon ascended the stairs to the large building he had constructed to train the Riders in.

Saphira was curled up with her head on her paws, one large eye directed at the prone figure next to her. Signor was panting heavily, sprawled out on the ground with a bowl of water a few feet away from him. His face was pale and soft, but his eyes had a glimmer of satisfaction in them. When he saw Eragon, he sat upright and composed himself. He inclined his head to Eragon and remained silent, waiting for the elder Rider to speak first.

"Clean yourself before we eat." Eragon said, placing a hand on Signor's shoulder before he walked past him toward the small table on the other side of the room.

"Yes, Eragon-elda." Signor said as he rose to his feet, heading for his quarters as Eragon set about preparing their dinner. When Eragon was finished, he sat down to wait for his trainee. He looked around, and couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride in what he and Saphira had accomplished.

The training building was, well, immense. Saphira had grown to and beyond gargantuan sizes in the many long years they had been there. Still, her mountainous figure fit easily in the thousand-foot-wide doors guarding the entrance. The building itself was really just one huge room with various amenities inside. It was a mile long, a mile wide, and two thousand feet tall. It had taken them thirty years to construct, yet even it was nothing compared to the city surrounding it.

Hundreds of trainee Riders over the years had helped them construct it. The training building was the largest of all of them, but the city had enough houses for tens of thousands of families to live within. A river ran through the north-eastern quadrant of the town. You could walk for hours from the training building at the center in any direction and not reach an exterior wall. Those walls, a mile high on every side, protected the city from all the wildlife Eragon had encountered upon finding this new continent. He had not found any sort of civilized life, and had thus determined to begin a self-sufficient colony to ensure whomever might decide to live here with him would always have a safe place to return to.

"Master, our food grows cold." Signor said. Eragon snapped out of his daydream to look at his apprentice.

"My apologies." Eragon said, picking up his spoon and beginning to eat. Signor excitedly followed suit, devouring the stew. He was clearly famished, so Eragon made another bowl when he was finished. Signor ate that one as well before leaning back and burping softly.

"I don't know how you manage to make food taste that good." Signor said.

"Practice." Eragon replied before taking their bowls to the small cookfire and setting them next to it. "Goodnight, Signor-finiarel." He said, turning to exit the building. As Eragon neared the door, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He shuddered, and turned to look at his apprentice.

Signor felt the same coldness, and asked "What was that, Master?"

Eragon frowned. "I do not know."

 **xxxxx**

 **There you go, friends! Thank you all for reading this, the first chapter in my new FanFiction. There will be much more to come. I am trying to keep the chapters shorter than I usually do, in order to keep up with more regular updates. I hope to hear from you soon!**

 **P.S. Feel free to let me know if you find any typos, and I will correct them post-haste.**

 **-ReviewMaster**


	2. First Contact?

Arya paced back and forth as she contemplated the news her generals had brought her. More disappearances, all over the countryside. Nobody has seen the perpetrators yet. In fact, nobody has even seen someone disappear. It just seemed like it wasn't safe to be alone any longer. Elves all over Du Weldenvarden had forsaken their usual trance-like state of sleep in favor of constant vigilance. The land was at war, but with whom or what was anyone's guess.

 _How are we supposed to fight a foe we cannot even see?_ Arya pondered as she turned again and strode the same ten steps to the other side of her room. She was aware of the generals watching her, but she had nothing to offer them. She knew nothing of invisible creatures from any race's lore, and none of the spells she had cast had detected anything at all. She was absolutely clueless as to what these things were, where they were from, why or how they were doing this, and most importantly, how to stop them.

Arya suddenly ceased pacing and spun to face them. "Bring me Angela." She said.

The generals looked at one another, and one of them spoke up, "Lady Arya, nobody has seen or heard from the herbalist in a hundred years. It's commonly held that she's finally run out of mushrooms to keep herself going."

Arya grinned, "I am quite aware of the common theories as to her whereabouts, commander. I did not ask for speculation, however. I ordered you to bring me Angela."

The generals shared another look before bowing and exiting the room. Arya sat heavily on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest. _I know this won't buy me much time. I have to figure out what to do. Why hasn't Eragon responded?_

She sat there for quite a while, pondering her predicament yet arriving at no conclusion. The human king, Ott would be arriving in two days, as well as the dwarf king Knarlo, the representative dragon of the wild dragons, the werecat queen Silvertail, and the Urgal chieftain Nar Hugro. The royalty of Alagaesia had only convened twice like this during Arya's reign as queen. The first time was at the signing of the New Order Accords, which took place on the tenth anniversary of Galbatorix's defeat. The second was when every race was threatened with starvation due to a plague of wild locusts that swarmed the land. Each time, Arya had been instrumental in piecing together a solution for the problem they faced, but she felt unsure of how she could fare in the upcoming entanglement.

 **xxxxx**

Eragon and Signor were knelt over a bowl of water in the training building, staring into pitch black. There was nothing, again. They had been trying for hours to see anything of Alagaesia, but with no results.

"Try again." Signor insisted as Eragon let the spell fade once more.

"No." Eragon growled. "We're wasting our time here. Someone is interfering with our magic. We have to attempt something else."

"What are you talking about?"

"We need to go to Alagaesia." Eragon said, standing up and striding to Saphira. He leaped up and sat on her, waiting for Signor to mount his dragon as well.

"Y-you're going back?" Signor asked, staring dumbfounded at him.

 _We know the prophecy, Master Eragon. Angela said you would never return to Alagaesia._ Rabion, Signor's dragon, said. _Do you_ intend _to test her prediction?_

A fierce fire leapt into Eragon's eyes as he looked at his students. "No, I don't intend to test her prediction. I intend to prove it wrong."

 **xxxxx**

"All along the woodland trail, the bunnies hop from tail to tail. There's a moon shining bright in the sky, way up high, way up high." Angela sung as she strolled between the trees of Du Weldenvarden, collecting different plants and fungi. She had just gotten to the edges of the forest, and slipped by Gilderien the Wise, and was well on her way to a very remote elvish colony where she could disguise herself and trade without any suspicion.

She continued singing as she travelled, until she suddenly dropped the basket she was carrying and stopped dead in her tracks. "What are you doing here?" She asked. "We had a deal! What are you doing here?!"

The air in front of her shimmered, and an ovular shape resolved into a face which said, "The time is up, Angela. You have broken our promise to ensure your peace. Now we will have ours." Angela paled in the face, and backed up slowly. "Run, run as fast as you can. You cannot outrun us, little one." Angela turned and fled westward, toward Ellesmera as fast as she could. She never looked back, and she never slowed down.

 **xxxxx**

Arya smiled and inclined her head once again as the last of the land's royalty filed into her personal briefing room. They all took their seats, save Nar Hugro and Queen Silvertail who stood and curled up, respectively.

"Welcome, all of you." Arya began. "I'm sure you, as I, have received rather disturbing reports lately."

King Ott interrupted, "What the blasted hell have you done, Arya? Our people are disappearing overnight, and MY SON IS ONE OF THEM!" He ended in a shout, pointing at her with a red face.

"This is nothing that the elves have-" Arya stopped short as the door flew open and Angela burst through, wild-eyed and panting.

"It's time…. to go…." Angela gasped out. "They've come…. we must leave."

 **xxxxx**

 **There's Chapter Two! There are no reviews as of the posting of this chapter, so there's not much more to say! Love you all :D**

 **-ReviewMaster**


	3. Exodus

The royalty of Alagaesia waited patiently as Angela stood amongst them, panting. When she recovered, she immediately began talking. "They have returned, and much sooner than promised. We have to leave now, or we'll all be destroyed. There is nothing we can do to stop them."

"Angela, I think it's fair to say that none of us know what you're talking about." King Ott responded, his previously bombastic demeanor deflating as he spoke.

 _Speak for yourself, human._ Queen Silvertail yawned. _What did you do, Angela?_ The werecat asked for all to hear, turning to face the witch.

"I have done nothing. I haven't heard from them since the agreement was made, and I haven't left Alagaesia since then." Angela looked worried as her eyes flitted from face to face, hoping to find reassurance somewhere. "We must flee." She said softly.

"Where to?" Arya asked. "We have had reports of missing people throughout the lands. Even the nomadic tribes in the Hadarac have not escaped this persecution."

Angela's eyes, if possible, grew even wider. "What? How long has this been going on? Why has nobody contacted me?"

"The first reported disappearance was three weeks ago." Arya replied. "I waited one week to see if our spellcasters could figure out who was behind it, and then told my generals to find you. We have been searching ever since, but you have a rather peculiar ability to avoid detection."

 _What have you done, Angela?_ Queen Silvertail asked again, stretching on the floor. The werecat picked herself up and stalked towards the witch, her fur raising ever so slightly along her spine. _You only had one rule to abide by when you were cast out. What. Have. You. Done?!_

"Do you really think so little of me as to endanger all of Alagaesia over what? Homesickness?" Angela snarled. "There is a reason I left, cat. I don't know why they have decided to-" Angela stopped short as a look of realization dawned across her face. "Eragon."

"What about Eragon?" Arya said. "Nobody has heard from him in years."

"That foolish farm boy!" Angela groaned. "How could he have done something so reckless?"

"What are you talking about, Angela?" King Ott said, leaning forward in his chair.

"Eragon. He's done something he shouldn't have, and now the pact is broken. Our homes will be invaded, our children snatched from our arms, our fields burned to ashes. We must flee."

"Flee where?" Arya asked again. "Setting aside _how_ we'll manage to move everyone in Alagaesia, where would you have us move them to? We cannot simply abandon our homes and become nomadic races. Surely there must be some way to defend ourselves against these invaders."

Angela shook her head. "No, there's nothing we can do to stop them. There's only one person who ever tried, and he's long since died. We must choose a direction and travel there without pause. They're already here, so we must be elsewhere. They have come to claim what is rightfully theirs."

"This land belongs to us." King Knarlo spoke for the first time, his voice soft and low. "We shall not be moved from it. We have been here since the beginning, and nobody has claim to our home save us."

Angela shook her head. "No, no, no. I would think that there are a few who could lay claim to your land that even you would have to acknowledge. What of Sindri? Or Helzvog?"

Knarlo snorted. "Mean you to tell me that the gods themselves have been angered and now wish to push their own creations out of the land which they gave unto them?"

"I am telling you, dwarf, that the beings you worship as gods have come to destroy us in order to inhabit their land once more." Angela said.

"You're lying." Knarlo said flatly. "The gods gave us these bodies and this land to flourish and reign over it, under their protection. They have no concern with you, and they will not turn on us simply because your diet of fungi has addled your brain." Knarlo turned to Arya, "Now, Queen Arya, would you kindly have this witch removed so we can get to the bottom of this crisis? Her ramblings are quite counterproductive."

Arya said nothing, and looked at the ground. _Could Angela be right? And if she is, what does that mean? How could we contend with being who created entire races? If we cannot see them, we cannot study them. If we cannot study them, then the only things we can learn about them come from Angela, or anyone else that has evidence of what these things are. Thus, the only thing we know about them is that they can abduct us with impunity, and are powerful enough to be worshipped as gods._

"Arya?" Knarlo asked again. "Shall we proceed?"

Arya looked up at him, and the other kings and queens. She opened her mouth to speak when a presence descended on them all. A rush of images passed through their minds. Images of hollow people dressed in stars. Images of bright lights resolving into each of the races of Alagaesia. Images of people flying into the sky, far above where any would dare rise to. Images of evil, cackling faces shimmering in the air. Then, a voice boomed in their minds. _The witch is telling the truth, two-legs. You should know this, elf-queen-Arya. These evil-before-all-people are your predecessors, after all. The wild dragons will follow the nimble-tongue-witch-Angela wherever she might lead us. We have no wish to fight these… monsters._ The presence then disappeared, and those gathered in the room heard the bugle of a dragon fade into the distance.

The room was very quiet. Nobody wanted to be the next to speak. Finally, King Ott stood up and said, "Well, if the dragons don't even want to tangle with them, I suppose it would be a fool's errand to try and fight. I will return to Ilirea and prepare my people for an exodus the likes of which none have seen before. How shall I contact you, Angela?"

A glimmer crept into the witch's eyes and she replied, "I will keep my eyes on you, and will contact you when you're ready to leave."

King Ott frowned, but made no further comment before he left the room.

 _We will be in touch._ Queen Silvertail said before exiting as well.

The Urgal King said nothing, and followed the werecat out.

Arya and Angela turned to King Knarlo, who sat stroking his beard. "The clans will have to deliberate over this. They won't want to leave."

"Deliberate all you want, but if you're still here when the rest of us leave, you're on your own." Angela said before looking at Arya. "I know you'll make the right choice, dear." She said, patting Arya on the cheek. "I will be in touch." The witch turned to leave, but Arya reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Angela, about what the dragon said. He called the invaders my predecessors." Angela wrenched her arm out of Arya's grasp as the elf continued, "Are these the-"

"The Grey Folk? Yes." Angela finished her sentence before turning again, and disappearing through the door.

 **xxxxx**

 **There you have it! I look forward to hearing from more of you :D**

 **Replies to Reviews:**

 _SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta:_ **Not quite aliens, but I hope you find this just as intriguing. Love the name!**

 **Love,**

 **ReviewMaster**


	4. In a Barren Land

Eragon and Signor flew recklessly through the wasteland separating Eragon's city and the eastern sea of Alagaesia. Saphira was large enough that the breakneck pace didn't bother her, but Rabion was struggling to match her stamina. He kept at it though, making it all the way to the sea between worlds before stating, _I must land. My wings grow numb, and I fear I will fall out of the sky if I continue onward._

The four of them descended onto the beach, Rabion landing with a heavy thump before laying down. Upon closer inspection, Eragon noticed the froth around his mouth and the tremors that ran up and down his wings. The younger dragon had pushed the limits of his endurance far beyond what he let on.

"We will rest here tonight." Eragon stated, glancing up at the sun. They had a couple hours before nightfall, and Eragon wished he hadn't pushed the youth as hard as he had. He was excited at the prospect of returning, and had forgotten that they would have found it hard to keep up with Saphira.

 _Think nothing of it, little one. Feel his pride. He is not as pampered as some who have come to us. He relishes the challenge of meeting the standard we set before him._ Eragon heard Saphira tell him.

 _That he does._ Eragon responded. _I just think I should've been more considerate of him._

 _Consideration does not breed strength._ Came the stark reply.

 **xxxxx**

Arya sat in the boughs of a grand tree near the outskirts of Ellesmera, watching the hustle and bustle of the elves preparing to leave. She still had not heard from the dwarves or the humans, but werecats had been arriving in grand quantities since the decision was made to leave. There were many elves who refused to leave their home, most of them old and, Arya suspected, scared of the prospect of finding a new place to reside. Rhunön was among them, but her two apprentices, Lilean and Tomon, she demanded leave.

"It makes no sense to have all the elves with the knowledge of how to make a Rider's sword in one place." Rhunön had reasoned. Arya had thought she had more than that holding her back from sojourning out, but she made no comment.

"Arya!" A singsong voice called out, startling the queen from her reverie. She looked down to see the Star Child looking up at her. "Care to join me for a walk?" Elva had adopted a more pleasant demeanor over the ages, having discovered she would possess a lengthy life such as the elves and Riders. She found it more appealing to have friends that would not pass away, and so she joined the elves in their leafy abodes and learned their games of politics.

Arya dropped to the soft, needle-covered ground and smiled down at Elva. "I welcome the company. Where shall we go?"

"Oh, anywhere is fine with me." Elva replied. "I just had something I thought you should know about." With that, she spun around and started walking back towards the woods, where she had come from.

 **xxxxx**

"Are you sure?" Arya asked incredulously. "She seemed terrified of them."

"I'm absolutely sure." Elva stooped to admire a daisy before continuing. "I've been trying to read them since the meeting you had with the other leaders. Ever since I knew who they were, I was tremendously interested in what might make them afraid. I feel nothing of any future pain they may feel, but I am absolutely certain about what they fear."

"I appreciate your telling me, Elva. However, I think it's best if we keep this between us. There's no telling what plans we might be stepping on if we decide to act upon it, and I would hate to be on the bad side of anyone the Grey Folk might fear." Arya said.

"Have you heard from Eragon?" Elva asked.

"No. I haven't heard from him, and I've been unable to scry him since the Grey Folk started abducting people." Arya replied. "I hope he's okay."

 **xxxxx**

Eragon and Saphira woke early, and he went through his daily Rimgar. Halfway through his last stage, Rabion stirred, and from beneath his wing emerged Signor. The elf stretched and yawned before looking out upon the sea. He breathed deeply, enjoying the smell of salt on the air. The wind ruffled his dark brown hair, and he smiled. He began his own Rimgar, allowing himself to become lost in the pleasant stretching of his cramped muscles.

When Eragon finished his exercise, he unpacked a small breakfast for the two of them from Saphira's saddlebags. He spread it out on a large, flat rock and waited for his apprentice. _What do you think it will be like?_ He asked Saphira, looking out to the sea.

 _Ravaged thoroughly, and set to fire._ She responded, closing her big, blue eyes. Eragon relayed feelings of confusion and she continued, _What else would you expect with true wild dragons allowed to roam free?_

Eragon chuckled and replied, _Nothing less._

When Signor joined him at the table, they broke bread and ate. While they were eating, Rabion awoke and shook himself. _Sand in the most unbearable places. Are you not itching terribly, Saphira-elda?_

 _No._ She replied. _My scales have large enough gaps between them that the sand cannot become stuck under them. I would suggest going for a swim, but the salt in the water could further irritate it. It would be best if you could find a pond or stream of fresh water to bathe in._

Rabion shook himself once more before saying, _I will be fine. I think I dislodged most of it. Are we ready to go?_

Eragon dusted the last crumbs of their meal from the rock as Signor swallowed his last bite. "We are ready." They said in unison, before rising and mounting their dragons. As the two took off, the mighty winds from Saphira's wings battered the sea back a few yards, exposing numerous shells and fish who had been in the shallows.

They turned out to sea, and set off toward the land Eragon and Saphira had once called home.

 **xxxxx**

 **Here's a chapter four your entertainment! Anyone?** _ **Four**_ **your entertainment? No? Okay, I'll see myself out…**

 **RTR:**

 _Guest_ : **I would highly recommend you leave some sort of signature in future reviews, so I can respond directly to you, and not whomever else might not be signed in when they review. I appreciate your review, dear friend. I will strive to keep all characters as true to themselves as I can, but you must understand that over such long stretches of time, those characters you do recognize could change rather drastically.**

 **Only one more review? Come on, y'all. I know you have something you want to say!**

 **Love,**

 **ReviewMaster**


	5. Into the Depths

Eragon, Signor, Saphira and Rabion were all miserable. They had alternated between flying and floating for two days, and would soon be on the other side of the sea. The journey, however, had been tumultuous and exhausting. The winds had been blowing against them since they left the coastline of the wastelands, and the storms only got stronger as they made their way farther out to sea. What normally took no more than an afternoon was now a voyage that Eragon would not wish upon anyone. He lamented their incredibly bad luck as they flew.

 _How far away are we, Ebrithil?_ Eragon heard Signor's voice echoing in his mind. It was impossible to hear each other over the storm.

Eragon looked up at the night sky, and measured the distance between the stars and the horizon. _We should be only a few leagues out. Is Rabion okay?_

 _A few leagues is nothing._ Rabion responded as he put on a burst of speed.

Eragon grinned, and Saphira increased her wingbeats to keep up. Suddenly, everything went black.

 **xxxxx**

 _Ebrithil! Wake, Eragon-elda!_ Eragon faintly heard a voice amongst the darkness. He couldn't identify who it was, but he was really irritated that they were interrupting his sleep. He tried to roll over and block out the voice, but found his legs immobilized. He slowly opened his eyes, and panicked as it all rushed back to him. He and Saphira were underwater, and there was very little light by which to see, suggesting they had been sinking for a while. Eragon felt his lungs burning, and used the last of his breath to cast a spell. "Adurna framvir edtha verda vindr!"

As he finished speaking, the water in front of him shimmered and became atmospheric air. He sucked in a huge breath and coughed before casting another spell, "Adurna framvir Saphira verda vindr!" A similar bubble of air appeared around Saphira's snout. He pressed into her consciousness and forced her to wake. Her eyes opened slowly, and she sucked in a breath.

 _What happened?_ She asked him.

 _I do not know. We both fell asleep instantly._ Eragon responded.

 _Ebrithil!_ Signor cried out again, and Eragon opened his mind to his student and, upon realizing he lacked the words to describe it, showed Signor what he had experienced through images and sensations. _Can you go further?_

 _I do not think so. I think someone is trying to keep us from returning. You must go on ahead, and find out what is going on. We shall stay here until we can figure out what's going on._ Eragon instructed as Saphira began swimming to the surface.

 _We should not leave you here._ Rabion said.

 _We are more than capable of taking care of ourselves, Rabion._ Saphira responded. _Go before I decide your tail would make a better snack than the fish around here._

Rabion and Signor turned, and resumed their journey with incredible haste. Eragon released the flow of magic as Saphira surfaced, and they both gulped down fresh air. _How do you think they caused us to fall asleep?_ Eragon asked.

 _Magic._ Saphira replied sarcastically.

 _Thanks._

 **xxxxx**

"We cannot afford to spare any more horses than what we've already given you." Arya said, pacing back and forth before a mirror. In the mirror, the image of King Knurlo sat upon his carved throne. The dwarves had been demanding all sorts of provisions from every race that could provide them in order to mobilize their nation. "We have need of them ourselves, too."

"I understand, Queen Arya." The dwarf king replied. "However, we have no beasts of burden ourselves. The Feldunost belong in the mountains."

"And the Folkvir belong in Du Weldenvarden." Arya said flatly. Knurlo's eyebrows furrowed, and his image disappeared as he ended the connection. Arya sighed deeply and sank back into her chair. She had been trying to organize her own race's departure, but the dwarves and humans seemed incapable of accomplishing the same task without her help. She had not heard from the Urgals, but it seemed as if all the werecats had finally arrived. They hadn't had a new one show up in days, and Arya suspected there were now more werecats than there were elves in Ellesmera.

She closed her eyes and conjured up memories of the past. Their victory in Uru'baen, her escape from the clutches of Durza at the hands of Eragon, her and Eragon killing Varaug. She allowed herself a small smile at the recollection of the excitement she had felt then. Since the downfall of the Broddring Empire, she had spent hundreds of years playing politics and teaching new Riders respect, self-control and honor. She had found it all quite dull, but now that it was all being shaken by forces beyond her reckoning, she found that she longed for the days when she knew her enemy.

An elf burst through her door, breathing heavily. He eventually stood up straight, twisted his hand over his chest and said, "Queen Arya, Signor and Rabion have returned."

 **xxxxx**

 **Chapter Five! Sorry this one took a little longer. I was working very late yesterday. I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **Replies to Reviews**

 _RandomReader:_ **I was referring more to the characteristic changes in Elva, as well as some other old friends that you haven't seen quite yet. I think you'll find the grand return of the Eldest Rider is not quite what one would expect.**

 _SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta:_ **I always thought there was more than enough to keep someone occupied with things to write about already. Introducing aliens would definitely make it too complex. I think you've got about….. Probably 10 chapters at least before I make it plain as day what Elva was talking about.**

 **Much love,**

 **ReviewMaster**


	6. Kulkarvek

"Be sure to make your quotas today." Arya told the young Rider in the mirror. "I don't care if you have to work through the night. If those ships are not built by the time we arrive, the consequences will be… unfavorable."

The Rider swallowed hard and said, "As you command, Ebrithil."

Arya ended the spell and left her command tent. She and the vanguard of the elves had made camp on the western edge of the mountains in the Hadarac Desert, where Angela had instructed all the races to gather in one month. That was a few weeks ago, and they now had ten days until they were all due to leave. Several nomadic tribes had gathered as well, apparently having been informed by the witch about the circumstances. They were due to group up with several more on their journey through the desert.

The past few weeks had flown past at record speed. Arya hardly noticed the time passing amidst the preparations they had made in order to abandon their leafy abodes. The elven company which wished to remain had sequestered themselves in an elven village so old that its name had been lost to time. There they hoped to remain unnoticed by the invaders long enough for a tactic to be developed or a weakness to be found that would give them a fighting chance.

The dwarves who wished to stay had likewise retreated deep within the earth, into tunnels known only to the ones who had mined them. As Arya understood, two entire clans had decided to stay. The Durgrimst Quan and the Durgrimst Feldunost were either too proud or too stubborn, or perhaps a mixture of both, to recognize the threat for what it was. They had lived peaceful enough lives since the downfall of King Galbatorix, and Arya suspected that they had forgotten what true fear feels like.

She shook her head to clear the thoughts as one would brush aside cobwebs and set her mind to the task at hand. The humans had shown up last night, and King Ott informed her that not a single one was staying behind. It made sense to her. They didn't live long enough lives to grow as attached to the land as the elves or dwarves. However, the multitudes of people had come in haphazard groups, and she was now faced with the task of getting Ott to organize his people. He insisted that he had very little sway over those who were not citizens of his own city, since the "King" in his name was mostly a puppet title. Arya found, however, that she could exercise some semblance of authority over the various earls and counts through her own status as a Rider. They held little respect for elves, but the dragon on which she rode demanded not only attention, but the utmost respect.

Arya scanned the skies, hoping to catch a glimpse of Firnen, but to no avail. He had been coordinating efforts with the wild dragons to keep them far enough away from the people that they could hunt in peace, but close enough to be of service should they be needed. Of their tasks, Arya preferred hers. Sure the humans were troublesome, but at least they would not try to bite her limb off at a perceived insult.

Once she had gotten most of the human royalty into order, she left the rest to another Rider before escaping back to her tent. She sat down on her cot and pulled a bowl and waterskin from underneath. She uncapped the waterskin and poured some of the clear liquid into the bowl. She recapped it and placed it back under her bunk before closing her eyes and bringing his face into her mind's eye again. "Draumr kopa." She breathed. The water shimmered and turned to its usual state of pitch blackness.

Arya sighed. It didn't make any sense. Eragon sent Signor and Rabion back to her long before their training with him was complete, but he hadn't sent any notice or asked of anything her. He had been strangely mute. _No matter._ Arya thought to herself. _I will be able to ask him about it soon enough. We should be able to reach the sea in a couple weeks, and after that it's a few days in the boats before we're in the new land._

She pushed thoughts of Eragon and Saphira from her mind, and instead focused on another face. "Draumr kopa." She said again. This time the water shimmered and resolved itself to show Angela's face, but extremely close up. She appeared to be sleeping, and Arya ended the spell. Suddenly, an unbidden thought leapt to the forefront of her mind. She shook with anticipation as she whispered the spell again. The water shimmered once more, and resolved into black as before. Arya sighed again, and let go of the magic. She sat there in her tent for a bit, just enjoying the peace and quiet. She finally stood, drank the water from the bowl, and stowed it under her cot with the waterskin.

 **xxxxx**

It was early the next morning when Arya felt it. A rumble in the ground. The deep sound of thudding reverberating through the air. She sat bolt upright in her bed before leaping to her feet and dashing outside, her sword in hand. She scanned her surroundings, then the sky searching for the cause of the rumblings. She saw nothing. It grew louder and louder and louder still until suddenly she spotted them. Urgals stretching from one end of the horizon to the other, running towards their camp.

After a tense moment of panic, she put her sword away and ran out to meet them. Her feet pounded across the ground as her legs propelled her forward at such speeds that she couldn't make out individual Urgals in the mass before her. Still, it took her quite a while to close the gap between them. As she approached, she saw one figure standing head and shoulders above the rest of his brethren. _Avoid the barrows of Anghelm, where the one and only Urgal king, Kulkarvek, lies in state…_

As she narrowed the distance even more, she fully understood the warning. The enormous thing was standing head and shoulders above _Kull_. They weren't ordinary Urgals surrounding him. If the Kull around him were eight feet tall, he must have been twelve. He was twice Arya's height, and his horns were as large as Firnen's claws. He dwarfed every other creature she had ever seen, save for the dragons.

When they finally arrived before each other, Kulkarvek was easily a league ahead of the nearest Kull. He raised his chin and bellowed into the night sky. Arya winced slightly at the volume of his voice, and when he had exhausted his lungs, she smiled and greeted him in his native tongue. To her surprise, he responded in kind.

"Interesting that you should know the language of the Urgals. It seems much more has changed than the chieftains led me to believe. I am Kulkarvek, the King of the Urgals." He said.

"I too, am astounded that you know my language. I was under the impression that you had been isolated from any contact with those that were not Urgals ever since your arrival here in Alagaesia." Arya responded, further eyeing up the monstrously large being. His arms looked like the roots of a tree. His legs were too wide for her to even wrap her arms around. All in all, Arya suspected that she would have killed him on sight had she not spent the last few centuries spending time with Urgals outside of combat.

"I learned from the dragons on the way here." Kulkarvek responded. "However, when the rest of my race had to stop and rest, our _Riders_ ," he spat the word out with scorn, "remained with them. Those with true Urgal blood came with me." He pointed back to the hordes bearing down on them. They were close enough that Arya was beginning to have a hard time hearing.

"Shall we proceed to the camp?" She asked. Kulkarvek nodded, and began sprinting towards their tents. Arya found it surprisingly difficult to match his speed, one of his steps was four of hers. As they neared the tents, he slowed to a trot. He came to a full halt about a hundred yards from the nearest one.

"We shall make our camp here." He stated, and sat on the ground. His face now level with hers, Arya noticed a patchwork of scars covering every inch of it. Battle wounds that she suspected he was very proud of, since he tilted his head this way and that as she looked at him.

"Tell me, Kulkarvek. How is it that you are so much larger than your brethren?" Arya asked as she too sat down.

The Urgal King laughed loud and long before looking down at her. He lowered his face to mere inches from hers, and said. "Because I am a true Urgal."

 **xxxxx**

 **Be honest now, who expected to see him here? Anyone? Bueller? Thank you all for your support and suggestions, but I will have to reiterate that the chapters will be kept short in an effort to make them easier to write, so I can bring you more consistent content.**

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 _awesome:_ **I understand that you would like more detail in future chapters, and I will do my best to accommodate you in that regard. Ismira will not be a part of the main story here, since she was Roran and Katrina's daughter, and it has been several centuries since any of them lived. She is long dead. However, I might make a short series in** _ **Alagaesia, Land of Mystery**_ **about her.**

 _Nightwing 2013:_ **Half of your assumption is correct. Angela is being portrayed as one of the Grey Folk here. As for their motivations, you'll have to wait :P**

 _Random Reader:_ **I think you might be a little too on-the-nose, quipping about how Angela has created fate :D**

 **Thank you all for reviewing and offering your guidance. I hope you all found this chapter especially exciting, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!**

 **Love,**

 **ReviewMaster**


	7. Murtagh

Murtagh squinted into the morning light as Thorn flew eastward, towards the source of the attempted spell. He had felt a significant drain on his energy as the wards he surrounded himself with counteracted and traced a scrying spell towards the Hadarac Desert. It was most interesting that a spell of such strength would come from one of the wandering tribes, but whoever cast it clearly wished to see him, and see him they shall.

He turned to check the cargo. An elongated package was wrapped in cloth and tied to the back of his saddle. It reeked horribly, but it was downwind of him, so he barely noticed. Thorn, who had grown tremendously since their emancipation from the clutches of Galbatorix, had been flying for two days and barely seemed to be affected by it. His enormous sums of energy were seemingly endless, as most of Murtagh's wards drew their strength from him, and he had never had cause to reduce or eliminate any of them. _We should be there by sundown_. Thorn said.

 _Perfect. I really would like to get rid of this._

 **xxxxx**

Arya sat at the head of a table, joined by King Ott on her right, Queen Silvertail in her human form on her left, and Kulkarvek across from her, sitting on the ground. They had been eating dinner and going over the logistics of their journey, trying to assess how many boats they would need to build in order to hold all of them and their supplies. King Ott couldn't keep himself from glancing at the Urgal King every few seconds, seemingly reassuring himself that he wasn't about to become a snack for Kulkarvek.

"I believe we would require no fewer than a hundred boats, if each one can accommodate three hundred of your kind. That would be sufficient for two hundred Urgals, or one hundred and fifty Kull." Kulkarvek stated.

Arya mentally sighed. She had not expected the Urgals to arrive in such vast quantities. She knew the company that had come with Kulkarvek was larger than she thought, but the one after them dwarfed them in numbers. Five thousand Kull had run with Kulkarvek, and over ten thousand Urgals had arrived a few days later.

"I believe we will be able to make that happen." Arya said. "I might need to send more of my Riders to help with the construction, though. Would you be able to give me a score of Urgal Riders to help fill in with the duties my Riders will have to abandon here?"

Kulkarvek thought for a long time before replying, "As you need them. They will report to you tomorrow, but when we leave they shall fall under my command again."

Arya sighed out loud this time, "Some of their duties might carry over into our journey across the Hadarac."

"Then we will have to discuss that when we get to such a point." Kulkarvek said.

"Very well." Arya said. "King Ott, will the humans still be able to ride on just 300 ships?"

King Ott snapped his attention away from the enormous Urgal sitting on his right and looked at her. "Yes, yes 300 ships for the humans will be sufficient."

"And Queen Silvertail, do the werecats still wish to travel with the elves?" Arya asked.

The werecat looked up at her and smiled, not saying anything.

"Very well. The dwarves informed me last night that they will be arriving in three days' time." Arya said.

"Cutting it a little close, aren't they?" Came King Ott's response. "We'll be leaving just three days after that. What if they are delayed?"

Arya shrugged. "They said that they intended to make it one long journey, not several small ones. They told me it would be much more troublesome to pack and unpack several times than to just meet with us and continue marching."

"Dwarves." King Ott sighed.

At this, Arya had to restrain herself from smiling, but Queen Silvertail's mouth spread into a wide grin, and Kulkarvek laughed uproariously. "Dwarves indeed, good King. Dwarves indeed!"

 _A dragon approaches over the western horizon._ Firnen said. _I do not recognize him, nor do any of the wild dragons. He is very… large._

Arya smiled widely and stood. "You had all better come with me. We have a visitor approaching." Then she left the tent and called out to Firnen, _Come and get me! We should go and meet them._

A minute later, Firnen descended out of the clouds, a mass of shimmering green that reminded Arya of dew on the needles of the trees. Her smile grew even wider as he landed, his muscles rippling and the ground cracking open at the weight of his enormous body. She bounded up his leg to her saddle on his back. _I've missed you._ She said.

 _And I, you._ He replied. As he took off, he exchanged with her an onslaught of memories from dealing with the wild dragons. She got the sense that while they were willing to leave, they were upset at the notion of helping the other races flee as well. _Who are our guests?_ He asked when he had finished relaying his information.

 _Old friends. One of them helped Eragon and Saphira rescue me from Gil'ead. The dragon on which he rides was the third egg held in captivity with you and Saphira._

 _Thorn?_ Firnen asked.

 _Yes._ Came a reply from the red gleam on the horizon. _Hello, Firnen. Hello Arya._

 _Greetings._ Arya replied. _Have you come to join us?_

 _No._ Murtagh's reply was blunt. _We came because someone tried to scry me, and I thought it might be related to this._ He sent the two of them an image of the cargo strapped to his saddle.

 _What is that?_ Firnen asked.

 _Something neither of us have ever seen before._ Thorn replied.

 _It would be best if we continue this discussion face-to-face, away from any eavesdroppers._ Murtagh said, and cut off the connection.

Firnen continued his flight towards them, and in a few minutes Thorn descended towards a large dune, and landed on the far side of it. It barely hid his massive form. Firnen soon arrived at the dune as well, and Arya jumped down. As she approached Murtagh, he stood tall and proud. He did not give her the gesture of fealty, but he did address her in the Ancient Language.

"May good fortune rule over you." He said.

"Peace live in your heart." Arya replied.

He did not finish the greeting, but went to his saddle and unstrapped the package. He jumped down with it, and unrolled it on the ground. Inside was what looked like an elf. She had wounds all over her torso, and one fatal stab wound through her heart. She was covered in blood and an awful smell filled the air. Although she had pointed ears, her skin was gray as ashes, and she was quite taller than a normal elf. Her arms and legs were longer, and she seemed emaciated, as if she hadn't eaten in years. Arya could pick out every individual bone underneath her skin.

"She tried lifting me into the air, but Thorn was returning from his hunt. He saw her, and attacked her. When her focus was broken, I was able to grab hold of her magic and unravel the spell that she used. Their magic is not like ours, Arya." Murtagh said, looking dead in her eyes. "The true name of the Ancient Language had no effect on it or her. However, Thorn was able to mentally subdue her and keep her from casting anything while she and I dueled. We both almost died several times, but we were able to prevail in the end, as you can see."

At that moment, Angela suddenly appeared between the two of them. She saw the being on the ground, and shrieked. She looked at Arya, then at Murtagh and said, "You! It was you! Have you any idea what you have done?! You've doomed all of Alagaesia, you blockhead!"

 **xxxxx**

 **A return of an old friend, a dead member of the Grey Folk, and Eragon still unheard from! Hope to hear from you soon!**

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 _SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta:_ **I would certainly hope so! And I hope that this does as well! By the way, I absolutely love your name :)**

 **In the words of Porky the Pig,**

 **Th-th-th-that's all, folks!**

 **Love,**

 **ReviewMaster**


	8. With Haste!

Arya peered into the distance, trying to spot any sign of the dwarves. Angela had insisted that they leave early after Murtagh arrived, and she had communicated to spellcasters with the dwarves that they would have to meet on the road, and set them on a new course. Knarlo and the nine clan chiefs who decided to leave were immensely satisfied. He had contacted Arya immediately to find out the reason for such a welcome change of plans, and when Arya told him of Murtagh's return and the body of the Grey he had turned white as a sheet.

"He- he _killed_ one of them?" Knarlo had asked, his eyes growing wide in utter bewilderment.

Arya allowed herself a small smile at the memory. It wasn't often one could make the dwarf lose his composure like that, and she cherished it like she would if she had gotten Oromis to act the same way.

They had left two days ago with Murtagh and Thorn in tow. When the two of them had found out all of Alagaesia was departing, they decided that it was time for a change of pace in their own lives. Murtagh was a much cheerier person than the last time Arya saw him, despite having aged dramatically.

His dark hair was striped with strands the color of ash, and his skin was scarred and wrinkled. His eyes held a depth to them that Arya had not anticipated, and when he spoke it was with great caution, as if he was struggling to remember the words he needed in order to phrase the thoughts in his head. Beyond that, she had witnessed his guttural laugh for the first time when a young Rider asked him what the north was like.

"Pray that you never have need of finding out." Murtagh had responded. "Pray that Eragon found somewhere far more hospitable than the lands to the north."

Thorn, like Firnen, made every other dragon seem like a hatchling by comparison. Both of them were _old_. The first group of eggs were hatched as wild dragons, save the two that the Riders took. However, those two took hundreds of years to hatch, and the wild dragons saw no need to provide the Riders with more eggs until they did. Thus Thorn, Firnen and Saphira were all several hundred years older than all but a handful of the wild dragons, and even those who could match their age were still a few decades younger than any of the three of them.

Thorn and Firnen were so monumentally large that they could have been mistaken for small mountains. They had to land at least a quarter mile from anywhere that they didn't want to be transformed into a crater under their weight.

Arya and Murtagh flew at the very top of the thunder of dragons that circled the slow-moving company beneath. They were constantly vigilant for anyone approaching. There hadn't been any disappearances since they set out, and the two Elder Riders were determined to keep it that way.

As they flew, Arya kept glancing at Signor and Rabion, near the bottom of the thunder. It was very strange, the circumstances under which they returned. They had not said much to anyone since returning, and Arya had remembered them as being more outgoing when they had left for their training with Eragon. She shook her head and chalked it up to the subduing of emotion that happened to all of the Riders when Eragon sent them back. He had a way of instilling a sense of purpose and pride in the young ones that made them less likely to act foolishly. Most of the time, anyways.

As she lifted her gaze from the newest additions, her eyes settled on the eastern horizon. _We're coming, Eragon. I only hope you have enough beds._

 **xxxxx**

Eragon and Saphira floated among the waves, tipping one way then the other. Her mountainous bulk was a bulging raft under his feet as he paced back and forth along her spine, using spikes to help him stay on his feet as the ocean rocked them back and forth. He could find no discernable enchantments in front of them, in the water or air, or on either him or Saphira, but nonetheless every attempt to go more than a hundred feet forward of where they currently were resulted in a loss of consciousness. They also could not go around it. They had gone a mile in either direction and found no change.

 _A riddle most confusing,_ he thought to himself, _there is nothing, yet something. Something keeping us from returning. Could it be that the act of having Angela tell my fortune has had some sort of influence on me?_

 _Whatever this magic is,_ Saphira rumbled, _it is not of Angela's doing. Of that we can be certain._

Eragon reached the back of his saddle and spun around, walking back down towards her tail. _I know she wouldn't have cast some kind of enchantment on us, but then again what if she hadn't intended to? What if her knucklebones were cursed or something?_

Saphira closed her eyes and disregarded his questions. She had been floating for three days since Signor and Rabion had left, and Eragon could tell that she was doing all she could to not snap at him out of frustration. He felt how the sandy water irritated her skin under her scales, and he felt how the cold water was slowly leeching the warmth from her. If he couldn't figure this puzzle out today, they would have to turn around and wait for Arya to send word.

Struck by a new idea, Eragon muttered a few phrases in the ancient language and threw himself off of Saphira's back, as he had so many times before. He swam strong and fast toward the invisible barrier, and as he crossed it, he fell unconscious once more. The spell he had bound to a jewel in Saphira's saddle triggered again, and pulled his limp form from the waves, depositing him on Saphira's back, where he gasped and came to.

 _What did you try this time?_ Saphira asked him.

 _I tried to reinforce the veins in my head to keep any of them from being pinched off._ Eragon said. Frustrated, he sat down hard in the saddle. He had tried everything. Spells to keep him hot or cold, spells to keep his lung breathing and his heart beating, spells to purify the space in front of him to filter out any toxins in the air. None of it made any sense.

" _Rïsa!"_ Eragon commanded, and he floated off of Saphira's back. He propelled himself through the air until he reached the point where the invisible barrier was. He reached a hand through, and felt nothing. He put a foot through, and felt nothing. He ever so slowly inched his face forward until his nose pierced the veil. Eragon saw a faint shimmer around the end of his nose, and he went cross-eyed staring at it. He felt the air from his lungs escaping out his nostrils unbidden, and he sucked in air through his mouth as he stumbled backwards, lost concentration on the spell holding him in the air, and splashed into the water.

He resurfaced grinning and gave a short, elated laugh. _I figured it out!_ He crowed to Saphira. _Whoever placed this spell is causing the breath to rush out of our lungs and starving our brains of air!_

Saphira's eye clicked open and she stared at him. _Can you counteract it?_ She asked.

 _I think so, just give me a few minutes_. Eragon focused, and began to chant an incantation that he hoped would hold the air within their lungs without blocking it from going in and out when they breathed. As the magic took hold, he felt as though he were trying to breathe through a piece of cheesecloth. It was uncomfortable, but not impossible.

Tentatively, he swam forward again. This time, he remained conscious as he passed through the imperceptible spell, and he noticed the same wavering air around his nose and mouth. He smiled widely and took a deep breath, then began to panic as the burning in his lungs didn't subside. He swam back across the veil and inhaled deeply, the breath of life entering his breast once more. _There's no air. They're keeping any kind of air from getting to us._ He realized.

Then he grinned again, almost evilly. This part of the enchantment would be much easier to circumnavigate. He simply needed to bring the air with him. He swam back to Saphira, and with her help, raised sand off the bottom of the seafloor. With it floating in the air above the waves, he had Saphira blow the hottest fire she could onto it, until the sand turned to liquid. Then, moving quickly, he shaped the molten glass into an orb and affixed it around his neck.

Once it was secured, he recited a spell that one of the brighter students of his had come up with to recycle stale air. He stayed there for a long while, breathing steady to see if the spell would work as well as he hoped. He did not notice the telltale taste of dead air, and started working on Saphira's helmet, much to her dismay.

 _I'm sure you could make it there without me. There's no reason for this._ She pestered him as he worked, but he ignored her protestations as he went about making her ready for the rest of their journey. When he was finished, he let her look through his eyes at her. Around her head was attached a clear ball of thick glass, magnifying different aspects of her snout and forehead as the light caught it. Eragon sensed an emotion from her that he had not felt for a long, long time. Mortification. _I look ridiculous._ Saphira stated. _How will I ever breathe fire through this?_

 _You can't._ Eragon said. _But neither will we be subjected to this spell._

Together, they set off for the barrier, and passed through it uneventfully. As Saphira took to the sky, Eragon set about reinforcing the glass helmets with enchantments which he bound to the saddle's gems. Thus prepared, they embarked toward the land they had once called home.

 **xxxxx**

 **360 days since my last update! Since then, I have gotten engaged, got married and started trying to have a family. Lots of stuff going on. I can't promise regular updates, but I will try not to forget about this story again! Sorry :/**

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 _SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta:_ **I'm glad you were enjoying it when I left off. I hope you eventually find this again!**

 _Random Reader:_ **Eragon will always be (one of) the blockhead(s). But everyone has to take their turn to play dunce!**

 _Hislaf Eriksson:_ **I unfortunately can't promise a finish/resolution to this story, but here's an update! I hope it is as good as the first seven chapters.**

 **As always, please leave a review. I enjoy all the critique I can get, and I love hearing from you all.**

 **Love,**

 **ReviewMaster**


	9. The Blue Mountain

Eragon and Saphira flew on and on through the hot summer skies. They had only made this journey once before; long, long ago. While they had sent instructions back for the Riders to follow, leading from one island to the next across the vast sea, they had no need for such a roundabout journey this time. Saphira's stores of strength had grown so vast, she had no problem flying for nigh on a week without stopping to rest. When they did, she would need much time to recover, but that would be easy enough to do when they arrived back in Alagaesia.

On the third day since leaving the new world, Saphira inclined her wings and glided slowly towards the ocean. She landed among the waves in a massive spray of mist. She rested there for about an hour, enjoying the feel of the water around her and the escape from the heat above them. Eragon extended his consciousness across a vast distance around and beneath them, a sentry against the Nidhwal sure to be near.

Feeling refreshed, Saphira took flight again. As she did, Eragon saw an unfamiliar shape appear on the horizon. There appeared to be a landmass, extending to the ends of his sight. _Saphira, what is that? I don't remember any islands around here._

 _Nor do I, little one. But mountains do not take long to form, do they? A couple hundred years maybe? The whole landscape of Alagaesia might have changed in our absence. The Hadarac Desert could have water in it once more._ She replied with a sure tone, but Eragon could feel a mixture of intrigue and wariness among her thoughts.

 **xxxxx**

Upon arriving, Arya was pleased to see that the Riders she had sent to prepare their vessels had indeed finished in time. She relieved all of them from active duty for the next three days, and personally thanked each of them as the preparations for the voyage were completed. Murtagh left that night to scout ahead and make sure the way for them was safe. It took them another day to get all of the supplies loaded and the ships made ready to launch. Soon, though, all who had decided to seek the safety of Eragon's new world were on board and bickering.

It was only natural to have conflicts among a group this monumentally large, but the quickness with which everyone was willing to start yelling and shouting with one another was simultaneously impressive and disappointing. Were it not for the Riders' presence, Arya was sure that the humans and dwarves and Urgals would have sank their own ships within the week. The elves and werecats probably would have lasted longer, but succumbed to the same fate in the end.

There was a certain amount of pride Arya felt in the competency and ability of the lieutenants in her ranks. She had assigned five each to the Urgals, humans, dwarves, elves and werecats in order to resolve disputes and mete out justice where due. She had granted them more authority than usual, as their survival depended on everyone getting along just long enough to cross the sea to the new world. The lieutenants were all experienced, wise Riders. Three of them didn't even have their dragons anymore, but they all commanded respect and dealt graciously with their charges when they could.

On the second day of their journey, Murtagh returned.

"Assuming these maps are accurate, we made it halfway to the new world. There's nothing between us and there so far." Murtagh said, standing across the captain's table from Arya. She and the rest of the royalty of Alagaesia had gathered on one ship to hear his report. The royal contingent, plus Angela, were all standing around the table in the captain's quarters.

"Halfway and back?" Arya asked. "That's a lot of distance to cover in only three days."

"It's faster when you travel alone," was his only reply.

Arya nodded, and King Ott cleared his throat to speak. Before he could get a syllable out, though, the roar of a dragon ripped through the air. This roar was so loud, so deep, that even though it was faint, it could only have come from a dragon that was thousands of years old.

 _Firnen!_ Arya cried out with her mind, reaching for his.

 _It was not me._ He replied, aiming his thoughts at the whole group.

 _Nor was it me._ Thorn's voice rippled through the crowd.

The roar sounded again, and comprehension dawned across Arya's and Murtagh's faces just as one of the Riders burst in through the cabin's door.

"He's here!" the young dwarf said. "Eragon, he's just come over the horizon!"

Arya leaped over the table, past the dwarf and through the door. _Firnen! They're here!_

 _I come._ He replied.

Within seconds, his enormous green bulk dove from the skies towards the boat Arya was on.

"Ganga!" She shouted, and launched herself off the deck into the air. She rose above Firnen, and released the spell, landing gracefully on his back as he flapped to level out from his dive. She strapped herself into the saddle, and eagerly cast her mind out towards the eastern horizon. _Quickly!_ She said to Firnen.

He roared back at the shape separating from the horizon, and quickly flapped his enormous wings, sending the ships directly beneath him forward dozens of yards with the mighty gusts he created. They sped to the east with all the speed they could muster, joy radiating out from them in waves.

 **xxxxx**

Eragon and Saphira had made excellent time, with the wind at their back. As soon as he determined that what at first seemed to be a range of peaks was actually rows upon rows of masts, Saphira let loose the loudest roar he had ever heard from her. She sped her flapping, equally prepared to celebrate or fight, come friend or foe. The fleet was so large, Eragon couldn't determine who could possibly be manning it. There were so many ships, it looked like a floating city. They were all constructed in a somewhat familiar manner, but he could not determine if they were of a design native to his homeland.

As they neared, hundreds of shapes separated from the masts and rose high above the horizon in a brilliant, multicolored cloud. _Dragons._ Eragon realized with a jolt. Saphira bugled again, and redoubled her efforts. The dragons were flying behind the ships, save for a few scouts out in front of them. Then Eragon noticed a singular green spot on the horizon rapidly growing larger and larger. His heart jumped and fluttered in his chest as he realized what he was seeing. Then her mind hit his with the force of a thousand waves. _Eragon!_

Old, somewhat forgotten flames erupted in his chest at the contact. He felt a love coming from her the likes of which he had not felt from anyone but Saphira. He reveled in the contact, swept away in the affection he had not felt, not been allowed to feel, for longer than he could remember. It brought tears to his eyes as their consciousnesses melded together in complete abandon. Her mind was vastly different than how he remembered it, but he was most astonished to find a deep, never ending well of emotion for him in Arya's mind. She had given no indication that she had felt so strongly about anything, let alone about him before. He could hardly believe that he was so blessed.

They remained in this lover's embrace of the mind until they met in the air, the two colossal beings upon which they rode crashing together in a violent yet endearing embrace. Eragon was almost impaled on Saphira's neck spike in front of him. As lost as he was in Arya's mind, he hadn't been aware of Saphira's intentions to collide with Firnen. Above the rumbling in their chests, Eragon heard the tinkling laughter of Arya's voice. _Stop it, you two!_ She admonished them. _Get us back to the ships, then you can be alone._

 _You're wearing strange helmets._ Arya commented as the dragons continued to spiral around themselves. In a quick series of images and sensations, Eragon related the events of their journey out and the invisible wall that pulled the breath of life from them when passed. _We have much to discuss_. Arya asserted.

With a great force of will, Saphira let go of Firnen and turned to continue to the ships, flying on wings faster than the wind. As they passed over, Arya undid her leg straps and jumped off Firnen's back towards the deck of one of the ships. Eragon did the same, slowing his descent with a spell until he gracefully alit next to her among a crowd of what he could only guess to be the new royal faces of the land.

They immediately began plying him with questions, which Arya thankfully admonished them for. She insisted he needed to rest first, and that they could have all their questions answered the following morning. Then she led Eragon to the captain's cabin saying, "There's someone here that I think you would enjoy seeing again." Eragon's questioning look vanished as the door opened to reveal his half-brother, Murtagh.

Murtagh was old. Much older than his appearance let on, although even that was showing significant signs of wear and tear. His hair was streaked where he had lost some of the color in his once-raven black locks. It seemed as though every exposed inch of his skin bore a scar of some kind. His eyes burned with the knowledge of lifetimes of hardship, yet his mouth smiled and his demeanor was pleasant enough to make Eragon wonder if this truly was the same man who had thrust himself into exile.

They embraced, and the three of them spent the evening recounting all manner of adventures they had been on since they last met. Eventually, Murtagh had to retire for the night. He might be a Rider, and one of the Ancients, but he still did not have the physical prowess of an elf, as Arya and Eragon did. He bade them goodnight, and departed the cabin into the salty air. Left alone, Eragon looked at Arya, and tentatively reached his consciousness towards hers. She welcomed him in, and led him to the bed in the back. They fell into waking dreams as they examined each other's memories of the last thousands of years.

 **xxxxx**

The morning found Arya alone in the bed, Eragon having slipped off earlier to check on Saphira. She stretched and rose from the bed, setting her thoughts in order before emerging from the cabin doors. She found Eragon on the poop deck, surrounded by the kings and queens of Alagaesia. Queen Silvertail lay on his lap, purring loudly. The rest of them were arrayed around him, sitting on barrels and crates. Eragon himself was sitting cross-legged on the deck, answering their questions and occasionally giving directions to the navigator, a lieutenant Rider by the name of Felduin, who relayed it to his peers among the other ships.

As Arya climbed the stairs to the poop deck, Eragon smiled brightly at her, and extended his hand to a crate on his right, where she took her seat. "Where were we?" Eragon asked.

"I believe you were about to tell us how far we are from this new world of yours." Kulkarvek uttered in a halting, grating impersonation of the human's language. He apparently had not quite mastered this one yet.

"Ah, yes." Eragon said, staring into the sky. He muttered a few words so softly they escaped Arya, and then turned to look at the faces staring at him once more. "If we continue at this pace, we should arrive within a week."

"A week!" Knarlo exclaimed. "You certainly didn't make it an easy location to reach!"

Eragon smiled graciously. "I never intended to escort all of Alagaesia there. It is meant to be hard to reach." Knarlo grumbled something, his hand rubbing the pommel of Volund, the warhammer of the reigning dwarf king or queen. "Which brings me to my one and only question for all of you," Eragon continued. "Why have you all journeyed forth from Alagaesia?"

"You don't know?" King Ott asked incredulously. Eragon raised an eyebrow at him.

"We are under attack, Eragon." Arya said quietly. "The might of the Riders is no match for the enemy we face." Eragon's mouth fell open for a moment before he regained his composure and his face took on a mask of indecipherable concentration.

"I know not who you face," he said, "but if all the Riders in the land could not stand and fight, I think it's wise that you chose to leave."

"Of course it is!" Angela's voice rang out as she ran up the stairs. "I'm the one who suggested it!"

Eragon laughed out loud, exclaiming, "You!"

"Me." Angela agreed.

"How are you still alive?!" He asked.

"I eat right and exercise." She replied dryly.

Before they could say anything else, Murtagh's consciousness descended on the group and impressed on them a picture of a range of mountains on the horizon. _They are not on any of the maps._

 _Nor did we pass them on the way here._ Saphira chimed in. _Something's not right._

"I suppose we should go investigate." Arya said, rising from her seat. Inquisitiveness gripped her, and she wasn't fond of the prospect of sitting in this circle all day, listening to the nobles ask question after meaningless question of Eragon.

Eragon rose as well, and together they shouted, "Risa!" and flew off the deck to join their dragons in the sky. They strapped themselves into the saddles, and set off towards Murtagh and Thorn at the lead of the scouts. Together, the three of them set off at a quick clip towards the strange mountains on the horizon.

 **xxxxx**

 **There you go everyone! I would continue writing, but I would need to break it into two chapters and I want to get as much content on as possible before life picks up again. I hope you all enjoyed this! Please, please, please leave a review! I love hearing from my readers :)**

 **Replies to Reviews:**

 _SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta:_ **I'm glad you're still active! It's been a while, but I have picked up the thread of where the story was going. I hope this continues to be a story you enjoy.**

 _xGibbs:_ **Thank you very much! I'm always glad to hear that new readers enjoy my work. Is your name from NCIS? I love that show!**

 _Nightwing2013:_ **Good to see you're still on here as well! Olimar wasn't exactly the inspiration, but I imagine their helmets look pretty much exactly like his! xD**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this one! Again, please do leave me a review!**

 **Love,**

 **ReviewMaster**


	10. A New Eragon

As they approached the mountains Murtagh had sighted, Eragon spread his mind outward towards it, trying to determine if there was anyone living on it, or if it was another kind of trick by the foes they faced, trying to keep their prey from escaping. He found no life on them, despite the range stretching across the full length of the horizon.

 _Any thoughts?_ Eragon asked the other five. Murtagh, Thorn, Arya and Firnen all remained in quiet contemplation, but Saphira responded.

 _I don't think that these are normal mountains._ She said. _Watch the peaks. They move, and they're not well defined points like the Spine or the Beor Mountains, or any of the mountains we found in the new world._

Eragon studied the ridges intently, and found that she was right. It was quite unnerving to see them shift and move, as if they were alive. _Something is not right here._ Eragon said. His pulse quickened and his palms began to sweat as he contemplated strategies for fighting someone that could move mountains with apparent ease.

The six of them drew nearer, and as they did Murtagh exclaimed, _Those are no mountains!_

Arya, breathlessly concluded his thought. _It's a tidal wave._

 _A tidal wave?_ Eragon asked. Thorn provided Eragon with an image of a wave of water crashing through a forest, destroying everything in its path. The wave must have been a hundred feet tall, and it moved faster than the deer trying to flee from it. A sinking pit formed in Eragon's stomach as he realized exactly what was going on. _The fleet will be destroyed!_ He said.

They had stopped moving now, but the wave grew larger still as it rushed its way to them. _We have less than four hours._ Arya said. _It would be impossible for us to move the fleet out of the way fast enough to avoid it._

Murtagh and Thorn turned and flew parallel to the wave to see how far it reached as Eragon, Arya, Saphira and Firnen gazed at the ever-increasing size of the tsunami approaching them.

 **xxxxx**

Arya's stomach was balled in a tight knot. She had never seen one in person, but their people had many songs about such monster waves. They were said to be so destructive, they could wash away the whole of Du Weldenvarden in an afternoon. She felt an unfamiliar flutter of panic deep in her chest, and her mind began racing from one unlikely escape to the next. They didn't have enough dragons to lift the fleet over it. Even if they did, there was no telling how far back the wave extended, or if there was another one behind it. The dragons couldn't carry them all the way to the new world.

She felt Eragon touch her consciousness again, and she welcomed him in. _Eragon, we have to do something. There must be some way to stop the wave, or lessen its height enough for us to at least have a fighting chance of getting the fleet through._

 _Send for the Riders._ Eragon replied. _We'll need all the help we can get if we are to survive this._

Arya couldn't tell what he was planning, but she caught a glimpse of the wave slamming into some unknown wall. _Eragon, even with all of us helping there's no way we could stop that dead in its tracks. The amount of energy that would require would kill us all._

 _Well we have to try something._ He replied. _We have only a little amount of time. If we had found this sooner, we could have tried dissipating it over the course of a day, but we don't have the luxury of time right now. Send for the Riders, and have them bring twelve elven ships with your strongest spellcasters aboard. We'll need rescue parties if the Riders start dropping out of the sky._

Arya sighed and cast her thoughts back to the foremost scout, and relayed Eragon's requests. While they waited, Murtagh contacted them. _Five leagues. It goes on and on and on for five leagues._

Eragon rubbed his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose, frustrated. He looked at Arya again and said, _Tell the rest of the fleet to get into a long, thin formation. We don't have to stop the whole wave, only a section of it to let our ships through. If they can get into a formation less than a mile wide, we should be able to get them through._

The pit in Arya's stomach grew as Eragon's concern emanated through their mental link. She, while a capable fighter and spellcaster, was not the leader of their order. She did not envy Eragon's position in making these decisions, as he seemed uncertain of the outcome even if he tried to radiate confidence.

Soon, the Riders arrived with the requested ships in tow. Three dragons per ship had long, thick ropes tied to their legs that they pulled the ships through the water with. Eragon started barking orders to them, arraying the Riders and ships along a mile-long section of water parallel with the wave. He and Arya were in the center of it, and Murtagh joined them when he returned.

Once everyone was in place, Eragon put himself in touch with each of the Rider's minds, and through him, Arya could feel them all. He was a nexus of thought and impulse through which they acted as a whole. He informed each of them of the task set before them, and instructed them all in the wording of the spell to be used.

Then they waited. And waited. The rest of the fleet came into view behind them, stretched out like an arrow shaft, and thankfully in the right place. Still they waited.

As the wave grew nearer, it became apparent that it was much, much larger than anyone had anticipated. Its top was probably close to a mile off the ocean, and a huge valley preceded it, making it appear even larger. Arya cast a glance at Eragon, and saw his jaw set in grim determination. He would either stop this or die trying.

Concern from the other Riders emanated through his mind, and Arya rushed to each one like dousing fires. She did her best to reassure them, inspire them when able, and subdue them when not. With the valley before the wave still a mile from them, Eragon began to chant. The rest of the Riders joined in one by one, and soon they were all shouting their defiance at the wave, weaving a spell to stop Mother Nature dead in her tracks; a spell to defy the natural order of the world.

It was long and complex, trying to have the effect of a spell with absolutes, yet phrased as a process so that if a Rider should run out of energy, the spell would adjust and disinclude him or her and shift their burden of the spell to _something_. Arya was not familiar with the word Eragon was using as a stand-in for what he was betting their survival on.

As they finished their chanting, the air grew deathly quiet, save for Eragon's voice. He was now reciting a different spell. It seemed he was _creating_ the source of energy that the first spell alluded to. The complexity of it escaped her, but Arya knew that the magic he was using was the first of its kind. There was some kind of a pull involved, but she did not understand what he was attempting to pull apart, nor how it could create enough energy for him to be confident in placing all of their lives on it.

As he wove this second spell, he reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a score of small, black objects. He held them in his palms, and as he included them in his spell, they rose up and began orbiting his head in a ring. Each of them was no larger than an acorn, and Arya felt no power coming from them, but there was no mistaking that they were the fuel Eragon was going to use for his spell. They were not gemstones, of that Arya was certain.

She shook her head to clear it, and stared the wave down. It was almost upon them now, and it was blocking out the rising sun. Her mouth gaped as she craned her head up to see the top of the wave. She barely could. It rose for what seemed like forever, reaching into the heavens to bring stars down upon their heads.

When it was a thousand feet away, Arya suddenly felt the first spell begin to draw on her power in ever-increasing amounts. She saw first one, then another, then scores of Riders and dragon drop from the skies as their energy was depleted and they dropped unconscious into the water below. As they did, she heard loud explosions from Eragon's direction, and she snapped her head up to look at him.

The black objects floating around his head were crackling with light, and emitting deafening sounds. The light that came off of them funneled into Eragon, and Arya felt in his mind the rushing of energy pouring through him. He was no more than a conduit for the strange material's latent energy. An energy she could not feel in the object, but was unmistakeably coming from them into him.

The drain on her power increased unbelievably rapidly, and as more Riders succumbed to the spell, more and more explosions were happening around Eragon, feeding him more and more of the power from those strange objects. Soon, the only ones still in the air were the three Ancients. Arya could feel her life force draining away at an incredible rate, and she could tell she would soon join the rest of their Order in the water.

Eragon was not visible any more. Where he sat on Saphira's back was now just a whirling, spinning mass of light coming down from the ring of objects above where he was. She could still feel his mind, and she gasped out loud when she felt the energy flowing through him. It was so vast, she could hardly believe the wave still existed at all. This was energy to move mountains. Energy to lift entire cities into the air.

She felt as Thorn and Murtagh's consciousnesses separated from the link, and she saw the huge red dragon fall past them towards the water. Murtagh appeared to have a couple tricks up his sleeve, however, and he and Thorn woke in the air and slowed their descent to drift softly into the water. Arya felt the last bit of her strength ebbing, and she saw the whirling light around Eragon grow ever brighter. Right before she and Firnen passed out, the drain suddenly stopped.

She blinked, looking around her. The sun shone brightly into her eyes, and she realized they had done it. The section of wave they had picked was no more. She looked backwards, and saw the fleet of ships carrying Alagaesia across the sea pass safely through the gap in the wave, like a noodle passing through a missing tooth.

She looked up at Eragon, and saw him tucking what remained of the black objects back into his saddlebags. He looked up at her when he finished and winked, smiling slyly. _What were tho-_ she started to ask.

 _Later._ He cut her off. _There's work to be done._

He descended to help the rescue parties pull Riders out of the water and form air pockets around the dragons' snouts to keep them from suffocating. More than one had inhaled water and were in the middle of being resuscitated. Arya followed, and helped where she could, although her strength was failing her. _He has changed much_. Firnen observed. _I do not think this is the same Eragon that left us all those years ago._

 **xxxxx**

 **Chapter 10! I hope you all enjoy it. I had a lot of fun writing this and Chapter 9. Any ideas on how Eragon has discovered these vast stores of power, or what they are?**

 **Replies to Reviews:**

 _SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta:_ **And Eragon trained** _ **all day**_ **yesterday :P I love TFS!**

 _xGibbs:_ **It's a very cool name! I'm glad you're enjoying the story :D**

 **As always, please leave me a review if you enjoyed the chapter, or if you have any comments, criticism or suggestions! I love hearing from you all! Caio for now!**

 **Love,**

 **ReviewMaster**


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